There are a wide variety of shoe constructions. One construction method, known as Opanka construction, includes sewing, often by hand, the outsole to the upper of the shoe along an outer periphery of the outsole.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a prior art Opanka shoe construction is shown. The shoe 10 includes outsole 12 being secured to the upper 14 by threads 16 that pass through a plurality of aligning holes in both outsole 12 and upper 14. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of upper 14 where the top of threads 16 is depicted.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the shoe shown in FIG. 1. As shown, threads 16 pass through both upper 14 and outsole 12 from top to bottom and vice versa. To prevent threads 16 from being worn due to walking, thereby prolonging the life of threads and keeping outsole 12 secured to upper 14, the shoe includes a channel 18 to protect threads 16. Without channel 18, threads 16 may fail at a quicker rate and cause outsole 12 to separate from upper 14.
However, channel 18 may not prevent all objects, especially small rocks, dirt, or debris, from entering channel 18 and damaging threads 16. Additionally, having an outsole that shows both channel and threads 16 may detract from the appearance of the shoe.
In FIG. 3, an alternative prior art embodiment of the Opanka construction shoe shown in FIG. 1, is shown having channel 20 on a side of outsole 12. In this fashion, one may argue that less debris or dirt will penetrate channel 20 due to its position on a side of outsole 12 as opposed to the bottom of outsole 12, as shown in FIG. 2. However, one may also argue that channel 20 is more visible on the side of the shoe as opposed to the bottom of the shoe and that the utilitarian benefits of placing channel 20 on the side is offset by the unattractiveness of making channel 20 more visible.
What is desired, therefore, is a shoe having an improved construction. Another desire is to provide a shoe that uses stitching for securing the outsole to the upper in a more aesthetically pleasing manner without sacrificing strength or structural integrity of the shoe. A further desire is to provide a shoe with improved Opanka stitching.